Cards of the Chamber
by Ugly Kitten
Summary: Angel's 2nd year. Why is everyone acting so weird? Does it have something to do with these strange blank books that continuously keep appearing at Hogwarts? Find out! Chapter 1 is up!
1. Default Chapter

            Well, well, well. To all of my special reviewers of Jaded Angels and Silken Blossoms, this is the continuing tale of Angel Indigo and the Eastern Magic tales. If you are new to this story, please read Jaded Angels and Silken Blossoms first. This will make much more sense if you do.

I will only make one of these, as they get tedious: Disclaimer: I do not own Card Captor Sakura (CLAMP does) nor do I own Harry Potter (JK Rowling does). I do, however, own the connections that I have made between the two, Angel and David Indigo, as well as Matthew Indigo (joy). I own this story. If there are any of my ingenious inventions that you wish to take, please email me and ask first.

So, to continue Jaded Angels and Silken Blossoms, here is _Cards of the Chamber_.

***

Quote: "There is no good or evil. There is only power." –Voldemort.

Chapter 1: David and Aeropains.

            The sun crawled up the slope of the horizon, a deep red against the pinks, blues, purples, and greens of the sunrise. The trees of the Burrow's yard reflected back that light wonderfully. Ginny and I were sketching the sunrise quickly. She held it up and closely examined it.

            "Like this, Angel?" she asked.

            "Yeah," I nodded. "Good, Ginny. You're getting really good at this."

            "Thanks," she smiled. "You're a good teacher."

            "Thank you."

            "Today's the twenty-eighth, right?" Ginny asked as she darkened the lines of her drawing. We were planning to use acrylics later, a new medium for her.

            "Yeah, why?"

            "Nothing."

            Quiet stretched on a few more moments as we finished darkening the sketches of the sunset. Ginny really had a knack for art. She was a great dancer, and really had a way with words. Poetry and writing was her strong point. Over the past few weeks, I'd been training her artistic eye to describe things other than what she was truly used to.

            "Well, I'm finished," said Ginny. "You?"

            "Of course," I grinned. "Let's get acrylic."

            Molly met us at the door, smiling cheerfully. She looked about ready to start singing. Our acrylic paints, which I had paid for, were laid out on the table, our paintbrushes ready.

            "Hey, wasn't _Dad_ supposed to be home today?" Ginny asked her mother, putting a bit more emphasis on the fact that her father wasn't there.

            "Yes, he does," said Molly, looking toward a corner. They were both acting like they had a huge secret. "I wonder where he went?"

            "This has something to do with me, doesn't it?" I asked, smirking.

            "Why, whatever do you mean, Angel?" asked Molly, giving me a mock-innocent look.

            "What's going on, Molly?"

            "Hmm…Do you remember…nah, I really shouldn't," said Molly.

            "Molly!" I whined.  
            "Oh, Mom," said Ginny, rolling her eyes. "David's coming over here a year early. He skipped a whole grade after you left, and got an acceptance letter here. Dad went to pick him up at the airport."

            "David's coming _here_?!" I squealed happily. "When did Arthur leave? When's he gonna get back? Molly!!!" I threw my arms around her neck and nearly choked her to death in happiness. 

            "I didn't know I was so loved," Molly chuckled. "He should be back any minute now. He'll be sleeping in Ron's room, which is why Ron's been up all morning cleaning it up. Why don't you two go help him? Arthur dragged a bed up there, but I think Ron needs help putting it together."

            "Coolness!" I yelled. "C'mon, Gin-Gin, let's go! Woo hoo!"

            Ginny and I raced each other up the stairs. I was extremely shocked to see that Ron's room was…clean…and…organized…

            "Wow, Ron," I said, laughing weakly. "You really moved fast, didn't you?"

            "Not really," Ron said dramatically, sweeping a last bit of dirt into the bin. "I've been up for three hours _cleaning_."

            "Whoa," Ginny said, blinking. "All we've got to do is set up the bed, then, right?"

            "Yeah," Ron nodded. "Can you guys do it? I'm tired."

            "Sure, Ron," I said. "You deserve a rest." 

            Ginny and I had the bed set up in minutes. We were just placing a pillow on top of the hand-knit quilt when my sensitive ears picked up the sound of Arthur's old Ford Anglia. I would recognize that car anywhere, it was so unique.

            "Dad's home!" Ginny yelled. She was already downstairs when I tore after her, Ron not too far behind. He moved a lot slower than we did.

            "Charge!" I cried goofily as we ran past the chickens in front of the Burrow. Arthur was just getting out of the car when I pounced on him, Ginny and Ron not far after.

            "You three," he chuckled. He hushed us all quickly afterwards. "David fell asleep on the way here. He's been up since three this morning on the aeropain."

            "Airplane," I corrected in a whisper, giggling. "I'll carry him upstairs. He can sleep for a while that way."

            "Good idea," Arthur smiled. "Except, maybe I'd better carry him. He's gotten a bit heavier since you last saw him, Angel."

            I caught my first real look at David since I had first left home nearly a year before. Unfortunately, whenever I had a Solid Dream of him, he would appear exactly as I'd left him. I would never have been able to see what he actually looked like after I left. It's complicated.

            He was taller than he had been. If he stood up, he would have been a bit taller than me, actually. His white-blond hair had grown a bit, and it looked to be about shoulder-length. Overall, my little brother just didn't look so little anymore. On top of everything else, he was cute. I'd even go as far to say that my ten-year-old baby brother was hot.

            That was extremely unsettling.

            After we settled David into his new bed and put his suitcases beside it, Ginny and I went back to our acrylic paintings. After lunch, David still hadn't waken up. Fred and George wanted to practice Quidditch, to which Ginny and I obliged, having finished our paintings of the sunrise.

            About an hour before dinner, Ginny, Ron, and I decided to wake him up. David had been asleep since seven that morning, and he would need to go to sleep that night as well. School would be starting up again soon, and a regular sleep schedule was a must for first years.

            "Hey, kitsune," I said, shaking my older little brother awake. "Come on, David, wake up." He opened his eyes almost the minute I touched him.

            "Angel?" he said and sat up quickly. "Sissy!" He started choking me with everything in him. "I'm so glad to see you! It's been too long."

            "…Can't…breathe…"

            "Oh, sorry," David released me.

            "Good to see you, too, kiddo," I said, looking over him. "You look a lot older."

            "Thanks," he grinned. "Mom said not to tell you I was coming early, so…"

            "It's a nice surprise," I grinned. "Welcome to the Burrow."

            "Hi, David," Ginny waved from behind me.

            "H-Hi," David said.

            "Kiddo, this is Ginny Weasley, she'll be a first year this year, too," I said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "And this is Ronald, or just Ron, Weasley, your roommate."

            "Glad to meet you," Ron grinned. "We heard a lot about you."

            "You're the one who likes Dr. Pepper," David said, laughing. "The chess master, right?"

            "Yeah, that's me, I guess," Ron blushed.

            "Come on, you can meet the rest of the Weasleys downstairs," I said, laughing with Ginny. "Molly's almost got dinner ready. I think Charlie's coming for dinner tonight, too."

            "Yeah," Ginny nodded. "I wish Bill was, too. He's still in Egypt, though."

            "How many people are in this family?" David asked, looking shocked.

            "I thought I told you before, Dee," I said. "There's Bill and Charlie—they've both left the house already, but they come over. And then there's Percy, Fred and George—they're twins—then there's Ron and Ginny here. And, of course, there's Arthur—you met him—and Molly."

            "Come on downstairs," Ron said. "Mum's almost got dinner ready."

            Sure enough, dinner was almost ready. It was the same spaghetti I had taught Ginny and Molly almost a year before, the same one that David loved. And he probably missed it, too.

            "Angel, Ginny, could you two go help Charlie and Percy set the table?" asked Molly. "Oh, good morning, David. Did you have a nice trip?"

            "Yes, ma'am," he said, looking into the pot on the stove. "Angel taught you how to make her honey spaghetti, didn't she?"

            "She sure did," said Molly, smiling. "I hear talk around the house that you were the one sending Ron all of those sweets during the school year. That was very nice of you."

            "Thank you, ma'am," David blushed.

            Ginny finally managed to drag me out the door. She started laughing the minute we were outside.

            "He's such a sweetheart!" she said, grinning at me. "You were right."

            "He's my brother," I said, grinning back. "I knew him before he was born!"

            "You did?" 

***

            "So, anything new going on at home?" I asked David as we sat at the huge picnic table outside. David was already wolfing down spaghetti like he hadn't eaten in days. 

            "Not really," he said after he had swallowed. "Mom and Dad missed you a lot. They said it was like 'it was happening all over again'. I dunno why."

            "Don't worry about it," I grinned, eating some spaghetti. 

            "Angel tells me that you know a lot about aeropains," said Arthur. "How do they work?"

            "Aeropains?" David asked. "No, I don't know anything about aeropains."

            "_Airplanes_, Arthur, _airplanes_," I said, rolling my eyes. 

            "Oh, airplanes?" David said, grinning. "An airplane uses a wing taken from a bird's. It's called an airfoil. Airfoils provide lift—"

            David's voice droned on and on. I had heard this speech since I was little, so I already knew everything he would say. Ron, Fred, George, Arthur, and Charlie, however, were captivated by David's vast knowledge on the subject of Muggle aviation. Ginny, Molly, Percy, and I, on the other hand, were discussing the other foreign exchange students. I am talking, of course, about Sakura, Syaoran, Tomoyo, Rika, and Eriol (who was a bit rusty on Western magic as a whole).

            "Do you know who their hosts are?" I asked. "And if they've come over yet?"

            "Well, I know Sakura and Tomoyo are coming here," said Molly. "They had to split them up, of course. We'll be a bit crowded, but I think we can manage. Ginny and I have been the only girls in the house for a while, so three girls around the house is a blessing."

            "Cool," I grinned. "So what about Syaoran? And Rika and Eriol?"

            "I know Mrs. Longbottom has agreed to take on Syaoran," said Molly.

            "I've heard from Neville how strict she can be," I said grimly. "Syaoran will be right at home, though. He's lived by himself too long."

            "Yes, well. The Patils have agreed to take on Rika. And Eriol will be staying with Mr. Kinomoto," said Molly. "Sakura requested to come stay here, even though her father will be here in England. I think she'd like to break from the ordinary."

            "Sounds nice," I grinned. "When do they arrive, do you know?"

            "They should be here late tonight," said Molly. "Arthur's already set up the bunk beds in Ginny's room. They'll come in quietly, so that you won't wake up."

            "Aw…I wish I could see them tonight," I said. "But I know we have to keep to a sleep cycle. David's going to have a great deal of difficulty as it is."

            "Yes, that's true," said Molly, nodding. 

***

            The next morning, I awoke to find the entire house shaking under Molly's fury. Ginny and I exchanged a glance. Sakura and Tomoyo were nowhere to be seen. We leapt up, dressed, and raced downstairs. At the kitchen table was not only Sakura and Tomoyo, but—

            "Harry! What are you doing here?" I asked, sitting down. "Hey, Sakura, Tomoyo. What's up?"

            "Nothing much," said Sakura, smiling. "Dad told me we were allowed to do magic only for our Language Charms—we already got our wands."

            "Cool," I said. "So, Harry, how'd you get here?"

            "Arthur's flying car," said Molly, fuming as she piled Harry's plate high with sausage and eggs and buttered his toast for him. "Ron, Fred, and George flew all the way to his _house_ last night!"

            "Arthur's old Anglia _flew_ all that way?!" I blinked at her, shocked. "I'm surprised that old thing could drive to town and back every Sunday loaded with groceries, let alone fly all that way!"

            "I take it cars aren't supposed to be flying?" Sakura asked.

            "No, heavens, no," said Molly. "If they were seen by Muggles, any at all, they could be thrown into Azkaban!"

            "What's Azkaban?" asked David.

            "The wizarding prison," I replied. "Er…it's guarded by really horrible things that…I'll let you read about it later, kiddo, I'm sure you'll want to find out from a book instead of me.

            "Oh, David, these are my friends, Sakura Kinomoto and Tomoyo Daidouji. They're foreign exchange students from my trip to Japan last year. And Harry Potter, one of my best friends. You'll get to meet more on the way to Hogwarts, though I don't know how we're all going to fit into one compartment."

            "Oh, nice to meet you," he said, smiling. "So you're Harry Potter? You liked the strawberry soda a lot, didn't you?"

            "Yes," Harry blinked. "You're David, Angel's little brother, right?"

            "That's me," he beamed. "Oh, before I forget, Angel. Mom said that she was sending Sakura back with some more soda."

            "Again?"

            "You know I can't live without Pepsi," he joked. "So, is my broom here yet? Mom said she was sending it back over with Sakura, too."

            "You better be glad Sakura's so strong, Dee," I said, laughing. "Soda, your broom, and the letters?"

            "Sakura's your owl, right?" Tomoyo asked.

            "Yes," I smiled. "She's such a beautiful owl, too. She's like a cross between Sakura and me. My eyes and Sakura's personality and name."

            "Hedwig will be looking forward to seeing her," said Harry.

            "Where's Ron, Fred, and George?" I asked.

            "Right here," said Ron sullenly. "We were just putting the Anglia back in the garage."

            "Hey, Ron," said David, waving. "What's up?"

            "Nothing," said Ron, sitting down across from him. "Hey, Sakura, Tomoyo. Have a nice sleep?"

            "Yes, thank you, Ron," said Sakura, smiling. Tomoyo smiled.

            Right then, Arthur Weasley strode into the house.

            "Ah…Harry, have you seen the rest of the house?" I said, sensing an argument. When he shook his head, I grabbed him by the hand and led the way upstairs. "Come on, everybody, let's go see the rest of the house."

            That's when everybody followed everybody else up the Ron's room, the second-largest room in the house. I saw a third bed had been set up against the one wall, this one with Harry's trunk and Hedwig's empty cage sitting on it.

            I noticed that even then it was a tad crowded. You know? With Sakura, Tomoyo, Ginny, Ron, Harry, Fred, George, and I all in the same room. We were definitely going to have a problem this year being in the same compartment, or even in the same house.

***

            There weren't as many problems as I had expected with so many people in the house. In fact, the main problem was trying to understand Sakura and Tomoyo when they forgot to use their Language Charms. 

            I think Harry was surprised to find out that there were more people who liked him just because of who he was. Not because he was famous. On August 9th, we received our letters. Sakura, Tomoyo, and David received similar messages to mine, welcoming them to England. Except—

            "Hey, we've got a special compartment!" said David. "They're putting a new caboose on the end of the train, specifically for the foreign exchange students and their friends."

            "Wow, really?" I said. "I wonder how Dumbledore knew?"

            "He's Dumbledore," Harry said simply. I nodded in agreement, laughing.

***

If you've ever paid any attention to the behind-the-scenes chats with Rowling, you would know that Dumbledore speaks for her. In a sense, Angel is that person—she's my spokesperson. So, what do you guys think Matthew is going to do next?

(BTW, Matt is actually named for my real brother. I've got two—Matt and David. Matt is an absolute jerk, and if he was actually offered a chance to get out of this house like the Matt in this story was, he would take it. Go figure.)


	2. Angel Hates Gilderoy

            I just couldn't help myself with this chapter. I absolutely despise Gilderoy Lockhart.

Since this is like an author's notes kind of section, I'd like to tell you a little about my family, since you'll definitely get to know them through this story—at least a little bit.

There are several major, major, major differences between Angel and myself. For one, my eyes are blue-green—I separated them out because I've always wanted dual-colored eyes. Two, I'm fat. Flat out, I'm fat. Don't mock the fluffiness!! Three, I love anime. Four, my mom doesn't have any legs. 

Fifth and final, I've got loads and loads of pets.

That is the main difference, really. Lemme see here, I've got 4 dogs (Mufasa, Odie, Spike, and my baby Chance), 5 cats (Neko Yasha [aka Precious], Ashlin, Tiggy, Diesel, and Thunder), a parakeet (Ricky Jr. Jr.), a hamster (Ullyseus), a hermit crab (Herman), 3 chickens (George, Baby, and Amber), a bunny (Bugsy), and a snake (Shamrock).

And 2 four-day-old ducklings named Spongebob and Sakai-Chan. I found out something interesting—ducklings sound exactly like baby chicks. Weird, huh?

Quote: "Is it just me, or did that not make one lick of sense?" –me on the price of tea in China.

^__^;;; Weird…

***

            Chapter 2: Angel Hates Gilderoy

The sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon the next morning as we got dressed for a day in Diagon Alley. Sakura and Tomoyo both had a sack full of Galleons for their schoolbooks, which included the entire set of Gilderoy Lockhart books. In my opinion, the man was a right fraud. Most famous witches and wizards didn't look so good, and most famous wizards didn't remind me to go and brush my teeth.

            Molly was infatuated with him, so I kept my mouth silent about him. We would be going by the Floo Powder method, which was one of my favorite wizard methods of travel. It was adventurous and warm. Broomsticks were fine if we were only going a few miles, but for trips like the one I'd made across the Atlantic, I'd rather be warm.

            "Guests first, Harry," said Molly, holding out the flower pot full of Floo Powder. He looked at it uncertainly.

            "You haven't traveled by Floo yet, have you?" I asked. 

            "No."

            "I'll go first, Molly, to show the rest," I said. I took the smallest possible amount of Floo Powder and stepped into the fireplace. "Diagon Alley!"

            I stepped out of the grate at the Leaky Cauldron and waited patiently for the rest of the Weasleys, Sakura, Tomoyo, and Harry. Soon, Fred, George, Ron, Ginny, Percy, Molly, Arthur, Sakura, and Tomoyo stood in the Leaky Cauldron. We waited for Harry for a few moments. A few minutes went by. Then ten. Fifteen. There was no sign of Harry.

            "H-He must have gone a-a grate too far," said Ron. "Come on, let's check the others around here."

            Sure enough, Ron, Fred, George, Percy, and Arthur returned to the square with Harry and Hermione. Harry's robes were dusty and disordered, but he seemed fine. He had turned up in Knockturn Alley.

            "He's lucky Hagrid spotted him there," said Hermione. "Come on, my parents are in Gringotts getting some money changed."

            We all split up, intending on getting all of our school supplies separately, then meeting in Flourish and Blotts to buy all our books. Hermione, Harry, Ron, David, Tomoyo, Sakura, and I headed up the street. Since Tomoyo and Sakura had already bought their wands, David and I broke off to go into Ollivander's wand shop for his.

            "Good to see you again, Ms. Indigo," said Mr. Ollivander. "I see you've brought your brother. I wasn't expecting you till next year, Mr. Indigo."

            "He skipped a grade in Muggle school," I said, grinning proudly. "So he got to come here a year early."

            "Bravo, bravo," he smiled. "Now, to your wand. The wand always chooses the wizard, as your sister knows too well."

            Finally, after at least twenty wands had been piled on the front desk and Ollivander's shop nearly in ruins, David found a wand. It was dragon heartstring, red maple, eight inches. I remembered vaguely that red maple in Japanese was "Momiji", a popular name in Japan. 

            (AN-A little trivia here. Momiji (red maple) and Kaede (yellow maple) [plus Kusanagi, or "grass cutter"] are the stars of an anime called _Blue Seed_, based around the Kushinada and Susano-oh in Japanese mythology.)

            We also picked up a cauldron and his Potions supplies, along with robes, quills, ink, parchment, and a large trunk in which to place it all. An hour later, we met up with the others and headed for Flourish and Blotts. A huge mass of women were outside the door, all holding Gilderoy Lockhart's autobiography, _Magical Me_. A sign outside the door let me know why; he was signing copies today.

            "Oh, God, help us," I said, holding my head.

            "We get to _meet _him," said Hermione, glancing at me. Her eyes were shining happily.

            "Oh, joy," I muttered. "I'm jus' jumpin' in ecstasy."

            Sakura and Tomoyo giggled.

            "My word…it's _Harry Potter_!" the entire room went silent as Lockhart spoke these words. I rolled my eyes and went off into the bookshelves, followed closely by David, Sakura, and Tomoyo.

            "We need to get your books, too, then," I said, sighing. "_Standard Book of Spells…Grade 1_ for you, _2_ for me. All these books…God almighty, that man."

            When we had all of our books, we headed to the cashier to pay. Just in time to hear Lockhart say the most dreadful words I'd ever heard in my life.

            "…had _no idea_ that he would soon be getting much, much more than my book, _Magical Me_," said Lockhart. "He and his schoolmates, in fact, will be getting the real magical me. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I take great pride in announcing that this September, I will be taking up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"

            If I had still been carrying my books, I would have dropped them. 

            "What?!" I screeched. "You've got to be joking me!"

            "No, no, I don't think Lockhart would joke about something like that," said the lady behind the counter. "Wish I were in your shoes, little lady. I would have loved to be at Hogwarts again this year."

            I humored her with a small smiled, paid for my books and David's, and headed outside. Harry dumped his free copies of his Lockhart books into Ginny's cauldron.

            "Here, you have these," he said. "I'll buy my own—"

            "Bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter?" came the one voice I did not want to hear right now. My lovely cousin Draco was smirking at us.

            "Hi, Draco, fancy seeing you here," said David brightly. "How are you doing?"

            "What?" Draco laughed. "You didn't tell him, Angel?"

            "No, I didn't, _Draco_," I said coldly. "I didn't want my little brother to know we were related to a filthy—"

            "Fancy seeing you here, Angel, David," said Uncle Lucius, appearing with the same sneer as Draco's. "I thought you could sink no lower. Having to live with the Weasleys, befriending them."

            "I thought _you_ could sink no lower than the filth beneath my shoes," I snarled. "You're worse than Matthew, you are. I'll see to it that your _master_ never comes back to power."

            "Watch what you say in the public's eyes," said Uncle Lucius coldly, before sweeping Draco out of the shop.

            "It was all an act, Dee," I said sadly. "Draco and Lucius feel we have betrayed them in some way. Because of Dad."

            "But Dad gave his magic up so that the East could—"

            "I know," I said. "But he's reduced himself to living as a Muggle, in their eyes. It's complicated. Muggle-borns are considered dirty blood to the Malfoys, and other families. We'll have to watch ourselves, especially around the Slytherins."

            David frowned and nodded.

***

            The last evening of summer vacation ended with a display of Filibuster Fireworks. Ginny, Sakura, Tomoyo, and I packed up our trunks, fully prepared for the next morning.

            It seems that my brother, Ron, Fred, George, Percy, and Harry had other plans, however. Just like the year before, we were dashing about to help the boys pack up their things. Luckily, there were two people packing up each trunk. Unluckily, we kept forgetting things. Tempers were running high as the traffic was slow this morning. Ever notice when you're in a hurry, people like to drive in front of you?

            We got to the station at quarter till eleven. Everyone went through the barrier three at a time. Ginny, Molly, and Sakura went through, followed by Percy, Fred, and George. David, Sakura, and I followed, quickly by Arthur by himself. Tomoyo, Ron, and Harry were last, but I didn't glance back to make sure they were following. I jumped on the train, followed by Sakura and Ginny. The others all clambered on, promising to meet in the new caboose.

            "Come on," I said, breathing deeply to slow my hummingbird heart. "Let's get to the caboose." 

            "Hai," said Sakura. I hadn't noticed all morning, but she hadn't taken her Language Charm yet that day. "Daijoubu desu ka, Angel-chan?"

            "You didn't take your Language Charm," I said. "I've got some soda in here…" I stopped and rummaged around in my school bag, which contained a great deal of sweets and sandwiches. "Here's some Coca-Cola." I handed her the familiar red can.

            "_Todos Languas. English_," she said quickly. "I'm sorry, I forgot it this morning."  
            "That's okay," I said, smiling. I replaced my pack and we continued hopping compartments and cars until, at last, we reached the spacious caboose of the train. It was nothing like the rest of the compartments. The entire thing was set up so that we could sit and talk to each other and have room to sit. The back part of the compartment had a place for out trunks, and the rest was sort of like four straight park benches, all draped in red velvet. There were even some pillows.

            Already seated on the far right side were Hermione, Syaoran, Eriol, and Rika. The red-haired girl (Rika) was a surprise to us all, really. Sakura said that she had been possessed by the Sword Card, but other than that, she had never noticed anything special. The black-haired Eriol, native to England, in a sense, was very friendly. Syaoran welcomed me warmly, quite unlike what he had been the last time we had met in the "real world". He gave Sakura a quick hug.

            Hermione, however, was extremely glad to see Sakura and me.

            "Can you believe all the things Lockhart's done!?"

            "No," I said bluntly. "C'mon, 'Mione, please don't tell me you believe that fraud? He's a pretty face who wants attention on a broader view."

            "What?!" Hermione shouted. "Come on, Angel, read his books!"

            "Hermione, do you really believe _everything_ that's put into a book?" I asked. "Haven't you ever read _Lies My Teacher Told Me_?"

            Hermione did not respond. 

            "Where on Earth are Ron and Harry?" I asked.

            "Tomoyo never got here, either," Ginny pointed out.

            "Hmm…Maybe Fred and George know where they are?" I asked. Ginny nodded. "Come on, let's see if we can find the idiots."

            Hermione remained stubbornly in her seat. 

            "I'll stay here with Eriol," said David, who had been talking with him since he arrived. 

            "I'll stay here, too," said Syaoran. Sakura and Rika opted to stay as well. It was only Ginny and I looking for two idiot boys and one raven-haired singer.

            "No, we haven't seen them since we went through the barrier," said George when we asked.

            "No sign of them at all?" I asked hopefully. They both shook their heads.

            "I didn't see them follow you through the barrier," said Lee Jordan. "Maybe they just didn't catch the train."

            "Didn't catch the train?" I repeated, panicking. "Then how would they get to Hogwarts?"

            "Mr. and Mrs. Weasley know the way," said Lee. "If they missed, they'll come together on a Muggle train or maybe the Knight Bus. Don't worry, I'm sure they'll make the Start-of-the-Term Feast."

            "I hope so," I said. "Thanks, you guys."

            "Do you really think they missed the train?" Ginny asked.

            "Maybe," I shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe they just got cornered by Draco."

            "Oh, I hope not," said Ginny. "Tomoyo didn't take her Language Charm this morning, no one would be able to understand her."

            "Ron and Harry know a little Japanese by now," I said glumly. "They'd be able to recognize a few words."

            "I guess…"

            The rest of the trip, I talked to Syaoran and read my term books. I helped Sakura and Syaoran figure out some of the things they would learn in first year, and David paid rapt attention to each one. Rika was out with Ginny, wandering the halls of the train in hopes of meeting some nice fellow first years.

            "So, Syaoran," I said. This was after explaining the Hovering Charm to all three remaining unlearned first years. "Where's Neville? I heard you were staying with him and his gran."

            "Er…yes…" he said. "Neville's a little further up the train, talking to…two boys, he said they were in his dormitory."  
            "Must be Dean and Seamus," I said, nodding. "And Eriol, how is Professor Kinomoto?"

            "He left for Hogwarts a week ago," said Eriol, smiling. "He's preparing his classroom. You'll be learning how to make cards right off this year."

            "Really?!" I grinned. "Cool!"

            "Making Cards this year?" Sakura asked, blinking.

            "Yeah, I'm in the Eastern Magic class," I said. "So's Hermione. Right, 'Mione?"

            "Yes," she said tersely.

            "Come on, Hermione," I said reproachfully. "Lockhart seemed to be a…er…nice guy and all, but I just don't trust people who exploit themselves so."

            "Well…okay, maybe he might have exaggerated some of it in his books," she said. "He does seem a bit arrogant, doesn't he?" A bit did not describe him, but I wanted to stay on Hermione's good side. She's my friend, after all.

            "Yeah…I'm sorry, 'Mione," I said. "Forgive me?"

            "Yeah, I forgive you," she smiled.

            "Hey, Angel?" said Sakura, looking up from her History of Magic book. "How come all these goblins wanted to revolt?"

            Hermione launched into an explanation. I had never quite gotten all of the goblin rebellions, either, but I guess I just wasn't a history buff like some. Still, what Matthew had said last year to me was still eating at my heart.

            _I haven't seen my little sister since she was three years old…I will love to see her scream again…_All that time, I'd believed that it was Draco who'd made me scream when I was three. But it had been Matt. Matt, who had done so many things to me, still considered himself to be my brother. He had performed curses on me, curses I did not know the names of. 

            All at the mere age of five. How much has his cruelty, his knowledge of curses, his malice grown in nine years? He, being fourteen years of age, would only be a fourth year had he come to Hogwarts. Yet he was learning from one of the best Dark Arts masters the world had ever seen. It sickened me to know all of this.

            "Are you okay?" Syaoran asked. His amber eyes were level with mine, nearly two feet away.

            "Fine," I said automatically. "I'm fine. Really."

            Blessedly, a knock came at the door, and the trolley witch asked us if we wanted anything off the carts. I bought loads of Chocolate Frogs, Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans, cauldron cakes, and pumpkin juice. Sakura, Syaoran, and Eriol eagerly tried each one.

            "Wow, so this is wizard candy," said Sakura, chomping into a Chocolate Frog. "What's this?" She held up the pentagon-shaped card within, revealing Albus Dumbledore.

            "It's a Chocolate Frog card," I said. "They have some background on a lot of famous witches and wizards. Some people collect them. You can start one, if you like."  
            "Okay," she smiled. "I will. Thanks, Angel."

            "No problem," I said.

            Soon after, I got up and went to the changing rooms located about three cars up. One by one, the others changed into their robes. Eriol smiled as he came back out.

            "It's nice to be in Hogwarts robes again," he said.

            "You went to Hogwarts?"

            "As Clow Reed, yes, I did," smiled Eriol. "Of course, there have been many magical advances since I went, which is why I'm going as Eriol Hiiragizawa as well. In addition to that, I've also forgotten a great deal of my schooling."

            "Everybody does," said Ginny, grinning. "Mom's constantly going back to _her_ old schoolbooks for some of the older, more forgotten spells. Of course, Dad has to keep his straight lately—especially freezing charms and finishing spells. Memory Charms come in handy, too."

            "Arthur works in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office at the Ministry of Magic," I explained. "So he's got to be able to subdue people and stuff."

            "And erase Muggle memories," chortled Rika. 

            "The train's slowing down," Hermione said. "Just leave your things. It will come upstairs on its own, it always does."

            Finally, the train ground to a halt at Hogsmeade Station. Hagrid led the first years away toward the lake. Hermione and I, the only ones left, headed for the horseless carriages that we knew carried older students to school. I knew what they were drawn by, of course, but I didn't want to think about thestrals. (AN-I think that's how you spell it. I'm lazy!) Reading about them in _Hogwarts, A History_ was enough for me.

            Inside the Great Hall, we looked around as hard as we could for any sign of Harry or Ron, knowing that Tomoyo would have joined the first years. We did not see them. Sighing in defeat, we sat at the table with Fred and George, who both gave us hopeful glimpses, to be disappointed by our puzzled shrugs.

            Filing through the door only moments later were the first years. I saw Sakura, Syaoran, Rika, Ginny, Eriol, and—Tomoyo! Tomoyo had made it all right to the Sorting. But where were Harry and Ron. She caught our eyes and mouthed something, but I couldn't see what. We made room for her and the others at our end of the table, hoping that at least some of them would make it into Griffindor.

            "When I call your names, please sit down on the stool," said Professor McGonagall. Everyone was silent for the Sorting. It was some kind of traditional taboo that kept everyone quiet when names were being called.

            I didn't recognize any names until—"Akira, Rika!" Rika sat down on the stool, and, to my surprise, was not put in Griffindor, but Ravenclaw. The blue-decked table cheered for their first transfer student as she sat down, looking more frightened than ever. 

"Creevey, Colin!" Was put in Griffindor.

"Daidouji, Tomoyo!" Was also Griffindor.

"Hiiragizawa, Eriol!"

"Indigo, David!"

***

CLIFFIE!!! Yeah, yeah, I know, everybody hates em. Pay attention to that "little trivia" up there with David's wand. Comes in right handy later on. ^_~


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